Tried A Pen Disassembly Tool

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shastastan

shastastan

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Joined
Jan 15, 2014
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Location
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Hi today I tried my CSUSA disassembly tool that I've had sitting around for years now. I turned a PSI Concava cocobolo pen and pushed the twist mechanism in too far. Yep, dumb and dumber. I marked the stop line with the wrong end orientation The tool parts are very simple but the methods are well thought out. I didn't really car much about saving the parts but the wood came out so good that I was worried that it would be ruined. I had used the PSI gloss finish. The penturners glue also held up well. Whew! I only wish that so many of my projects would stop turning into salvage operations.:doctor:
 
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I have had the same feeling at different times. I have found that the slower I go the better I do. Especially in penturning and woodturning I have found that I now don't do any assembly if I am tired or rushed. I am glad that you were able to salvage the pen and not lose a thing. Good for you.
 
After destroying a few kits in newbie fashion, I made it a point to buy the HF transfer punch set. I screwed up on a cigar one night by getting the tubes backwards (I'm a dummy like that sometimes), so I "got" to try out my punch set. It would have saved me twice what I paid for it in my first ten pens!

Glad to year you salvaged your cocobolo/concava combo!
 
Pen disassembly & transfer punches

Have a set of each. Both priceless. I for one would never think of using a transfer punch to disassemble a pen. That point on a transfer punch is extremely sharp.

Let's not forget the proper use of a transfer punch.

For what these punches cost at HF or pen supplier these punches are a bargain, therefore one set of each.

Charlie
 
Sure enough...

Just hit the Submit Reply window and I think of my "pen pliers".

They work well, despite the fact that the jaws are misaligned. Most pens only 3 of 4 surfaces contact the pen barrel. Probably would just work better if all 4 surfaces made contact.

Charlie
 
Multiple uses for sure. I was having issues with a PSI kit - the magnetic Graduate. One part - the magnet, I think - was a wee bit oversized. When I pressed it in it split a gorgeous Wild Horse Jasper Tru-Stone blank (the tube was clean). Not a happy experience. Next time, I wrapped some 220 around a transfer punch and reamed the inside of the tube. Worked nicely!
 
We really appreciate all the tips and tricks. So, here's another one:

I bought the cheaper slimline kits from PSI. They are okay, but now that I've bought a few more expensive kits, I can really see the difference in quality. Anyway, since we're musicians, I decided to put treble clef clips on the the Slim LInes. The kit cap did not quite fit through the hole in the treble clef clip. I thought, okay, I'll just press it together. That only worked for some. On some others the blanks split. Ticked me off! So, I started filing out the holes , but really didn't like that process so I finally just stopped using the treble clef clips. I had used them in the past from CSUSA with no problems, but CSUSA didn't have them last fall. Make sure your kit parts fit as they should before assembly.

Now I need to check on those HF transfer punches since I had not heard of them before.
 
I use that sharp point to knock out the finials in my Jr. Gent 2 and any other so I can add a new custom finial. Some of the guys that have been around here for a long time give lots of tips like these if you read all the old posts. There is so much information in this forum you could never soak it all up...
 
Digressing a little here....but forums are fantastic sources of helpful info. I've discovered that the folks on the forums create their own "culture." I visit at least 4 forums regularly and everyone is nice and helpful to everyone else. No flaming allowed period! Moderators keep things in order and they get too little praise for doing it. IMO. I try to contribute my experiences and ideas if I think someone might benefit from them recognizing that there many different methods and tools that can be used to accomplish something.

Okay, back to the main topic. Did I read that the HF punches can be used to remove a glued tube from inside a blank? I'm trying to picture why someone would want to do that. I'm confused about using the HF transfer tools in disassembly also. $9.99 is cheap enough not to worry about a coupon, IMO.

Stan
 
You'd use a transfer punch set to remove pressed in fittings. If the glued on blank is messed up, it's time for a design change. If I get to that point, I either turn off the messed up half of the blank and glue on something different, or just turn off the entire blank and start fresh.

As for the coupon, $2 is $2 and a penny saved is a penny earned. It's not like it costs anything to carry a piece of paper or your smartphone in to HF.
 
Cmiles1985 said:
You'd use a transfer punch set to remove pressed in fittings. If the glued on blank is messed up, it's time for a design change. If I get to that point, I either turn off the messed up half of the blank and glue on something different, or just turn off the entire blank and start fresh.

As for the coupon, $2 is $2 and a penny saved is a penny earned. It's not like it costs anything to carry a piece of paper or your smartphone in to HF.
Click to expand...

I can not imagine turning down and starting again using those frail brass tubes once they get a workout like ten rounds with a pro. IMHO brass is dirt cheap, I like the handling of new and regard preparation as vital worth every minute spent.

On the other hand saving a one off blank is worth while, over here we are going through as a country a bad patch with employment if everything depends on discounts the country has really gone south.

This from a pensioner for over 15 yrs this yr 80.

By the way like Frank Sinatra do it your way.

Kind regards Peter.
 
Okay, I ordered the HF transfer punches. It wasn't that hard to find the $2 coupon either. I just ordered online to save time and gas since the HF store is a 16mi round trip from here.

I actually did mess up a different cocobolo concava on the drill press when the pen mill caught. It split the blank. I just tossed both pieces and got some extra tubes from PSI. I drill on the lathe now.
 
I have turned wood off a tube many times and reused the tube. I don't do it with pens that I normally have spares for but I do for pens that are not as easy to get brass for. It only takes a few seconds with a parting tool to have a tube cleaned off. After all a penny saved is a penny earned!
 
mikespenturningz said:
I have turned wood off a tube many times and reused the tube. I don't do it with pens that I normally have spares for but I do for pens that are not as easy to get brass for. It only takes a few seconds with a parting tool to have a tube cleaned off. After all a penny saved is a penny earned!
Click to expand...

I've never done this, but I can conceive of a situation that I might. I said above that I through the cocobolo pieces away. Why? Because if I did a new 1/2 of cocobolo, the grain would not match up. However, if there was little grain pattern, it would be worth it to keep the good piece and turn a new one and save the tube. I also see your point about not having a spare for all types of pens that you may do. Thanks!
 
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